Ella's POV
The worst kind of betrayal isn't the obvious kind.
It's the one that walks beside you. The one that smiles when you speak, bows when you enter, and whispers loyalty with blood on its tongue.
I'd learned that too early in life.
And now, I was learning it all over again.
The council member's voice still echoed in my mind—his murmured words from days ago when he thought no one could hear: "The Hollow King's mark is close. Eiravelle's time is done."
I hadn't told Remo.
Couldn't.
The moment I said those words aloud, they would become real. The moment Remo knew someone had slipped through the cracks... someone on the council no less... he would stop thinking and start burning.
I didn't want that. Not yet. Not without proof.
So I smiled at breakfast. I trained at noon. I answ
